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[jigglet]

I've been thinking about this recently. I've heard people call COD and Rocket League toxic, but all I can think is: if you're too lazy to press the 3 buttons it takes to mute people, that's a YOU problem.

Who sits there playing a game for a year thinking: oh I could mute these kids, but 3 buttons? Fuck that, I'd rather continue to listen to their vile shit.

There are some games where muting isn't an option - Rainbow Six Siege for example. You need the comms and team work. So yes you could legitimately call this toxic at times.

There are games where the meta community is a huge part of the experience - participating in forums and off-game social media is an integral component of this. I can't think of too many examples but I imagine MMO's might fall into this category. And yes I could see these communities being toxic and having to put up with it.

But for games like COD and RL; how could anyone describe these as toxic? I remember playing COD for 5 years and then hearing someone call this toxic and I thought - what? How? When the game launches I go into the settings, turn voice chat off and for the next 12 months it's smooth sailing.

 

[AJUMP23]

White people.

(This is an obvious joke, but then someone called me a racist and that I need to be monitored so I edited here to say I’m joking and I thought that was clear. )



a community is made toxic by people who cannot amicably disagree about a subject or are unable to speak without getting personal.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

White people.

/thread

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Your post confuses me. Isn’t the fact that you’re stating it’s necessary to mute them evidence that the community is toxic?

 

[Arsic]

Valorant a guy out of round 1 and 2 was being an asshole on comms to everyone. Our omen speaks up for herself and he goes full sexist. I try to defend her because her call for flash etc was the right play, and get called a simp and more.

Muted and reported. However, majority of games of Valorant I have to mute and report. Most are under 18 kids.

Valorant is diarrhea for a community.

 

[jigglet]

Your post confuses me. Isn’t the fact that you’re stating it’s necessary to mute them evidence that the community is toxic?

Yes but what games full of 12 year olds aren't going to be toxic, by that definition? Genuine question. Do they exist?

I mean sure you're right. But all I'm saying is that when there's a universal mute all button in the settings that you can turn on the second you buy the game, why should anyone be complaining?

 

[dano1]

White people.



a cummity is made toxic by people who cannot amicably disagree ab a subject or are unable to speak without getting personal.

Your obviously a little racist!
It’s actually just people that can’t get along with other nice people

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Yes but what games full of 12 year olds aren't going to be toxic, by that definition? Genuine question. Do they exist?

I mean sure you're right. But all I'm saying is that when there's a universal mute all button in the settings that you can turn on the second you buy the game, why should anyone be complaining?

You’re asking the wrong guy. Only game I currently play online is Magic: The Gathering Arena. There is no real chat. Just a few generic dialogue options:

 

[brian0057]

A hive mind.
A community that can disagree with itself will have a much easier time accepting those new to it.
If everyone in said community is just agreeing with each other, they'll be more antagonistic to those that think different.

 

[ReBurn]

Anonymity

 

[WitchHunter]

Lack of moderation.

 

[jigglet]

You’re asking the wrong guy. Only game I currently play online is Magic: The Gathering Arena. There is no real chat. Just a few generic dialogue options:

Yeah most games don't need chat. 90% of modes in COD don't need chat. Rocket League - unless you're playing at competitive levels - doesn't need chat. So yeah I don't get it. People complaining about toxicity in these games should take the 5 seconds it takes to turn it off.

 

[CitizenZ]

The only people hurt by words, IMO, are the weakest humans. A word is simply just a word, no harm or foul. Now make physical contact, thats a complete different situation. I have been called everything, fought, won some and lost some with no regrets, but thats me. You do you, thats a little thing called freedom.

 

[Vagswarm]

I found most online games have toxic communities... really the internet in general is an anything goes platform, due to the anonymity. But I play mostly all singleplayer games these days, so it's whatever.

 

[Jaysen]

Fanboys

 

[Codes 208]

Fanboys and gatekeepers

 

[jigglet]

I found most online games have toxic communities... really the internet in general is an anything goes platform, due to the anonymity. But I play mostly all singleplayer games these days, so it's whatever.

This is the point I'm trying to make. Why? Turn off voice chat in the settings, takes 5 seconds when you buy the game, then it's just as trouble free as any single player game. You're missing out on a whole bunch of great games because of this perceived toxicity that doesn't exist.

 

[STARSBarry]

Games that promote individual success and punish team failure.

It's pretty easy to find really, a great example of this is World of Tanks which is designed as a "team game" but rewards based on individual success.

What this creates is an environment where you need to be the star of the show and everyone else has to be the support role but get rewarded less for the team to succeed. The issue is every player wants to be rewarded like there a star and not forced to get a trickle from being the support resulting in the team failing because there not just in competition with the enemy but the rest of there own team.

Games that operate like this quickly become toxic because everyone blames everyone else for not supporting them in trying to be the single hero of the match, it's really a design issue.

 

[Insane Metal]

Rich, straight white men.

Source: I'm a rich, straight white man.

 

[Companion Cube]

Your post confuses me. Isn’t the fact that you’re stating it’s necessary to mute them evidence that the community is toxic?

I agree there's a couple different points about toxicity in OP's posts that are kind of disconnected but on what makes a community toxic: when a player has to rely on another player, I think that's when real toxicity comes out. FPS trash talk is nothing compared to someone in a MOBA telling you how you should be playing and what you did/didn't do to ruin their life and it seems to stem from how much a player depends on others in a particular game and choices they are making rather than their skill.

 

[Excess]

Toxic isn't the right word. Jaded is a much better word to describe communities that reach a peak level of popularity and then descend in a phenomenon where members turn on each other because there's nothing of value left to extract from the game. COD, GTA Online, LoL, Rocket League... they all suffer from this.

 

[daveonezero]

Wrongthink

 

[junguler]

it's usually me and people like me, i like to push buttons and some people's buttons are very exposed and it's almost like i can't help myself.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

these guys (stolen from the OT board)

 

[TheInfamousKira]

I don't do online gaming, so in my sphere, what creates a toxic community is a rift in fans. Be it between an entry that is divisive, which in turn makes fans of A and fans of B come to blows, or, more commonly today...

A new group of people deciding that "Product X should be for everyone! I'd like Product X if it just had a cast of 75% POC/bisexual/deer people, and if they stopped promoting these old ass archaic characters and replaced their agency and purpose with roles of people I appreciate more! Also, change the plot. Make it more contemporary! And anyone who disagrees is a misogynist, and we need to stand against gate keeping!"

Basically when a group of people decides Batman is great, except for Bruce Wayne, Gotham, the Joker, and Batman. It's a super interesting property and it deserves to have stories told that don't revolve around an angry white masked vigilante.

THAT shit creates toxicity.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

these guys (stolen from the OT board)

If these people all represented videogame titles, I'd put them as, from left to right

Pokémon
Max Payne
Resident Evil 6
GTAV

 

[lh032]

Play single player games = toxic community proof.

 

[Fare thee well]

Couldn't get one post in without it turning into a race discussion. Definitely, just maybe, yep, might have to say that's a contributing factor.

I don't play those games, but when my gw2 guild gets called toxic, it's for edgy humor I just find fucking hilarious (not dumb kids shouting racial slurs every 10s). My two cents? People have way weaker skin. That's why every standup comic has to walk on eggshells now. I'm not quite sure what has spiked this sensitivity. Para-social lives? 24hr media and intense polarization? a larger pool of idiots because there are now just more gamers in general?

But I'm willing to be wrong. Going to try the Aussie servers for New World with friends. It has in-game voice comms. We shall see how it goes.

 

[Ceadeus]

It might be the freedom of speech we get from being online anonymous. I would believe only younger people get angry playing video games.

In any way, people get angry because of a lack of something. Let it be attention , poverty or loneliness. It's accumulated frustration

 

[BadBurger]

There are many people in the world who's only mode is "antagonistic". It seeps out of every pore of their personality. These kinds of people seem to gravitate towards one another while actively rebuffing normal well-adjusted people. Even when they're a minority they are so loud, so vocal, their small number of voices can sound like a choir singing over all of the regular people just trying to have fun.

Every toxic community I have trafficked in was this way. In the case of LoL they were definitely the majority and fed off each other. In places like ResetERA, on the other hand, they're the minority - but the problem is their entire mod staff is that way so they get to set the tone, even though most of the posters are regular-ass Joes just trying to get gaming news or connect with a community for online gaming or whatever.

 

[PhaseJump]

 

[ahtlas7]

White people.



a community is made toxic by people who cannot amicably disagree about a subject or are unable to speak without getting personal.

Hmmmm, toxic much?

 

[Aion002]

Friendly fire.

I quitted Siege because of it.

I think I played 10 matches and in 8 there was some troll shooting teammates. I just dropped it.

Also, smurfs... LoL was sooo annoying when I started, because there was almost always one or two experienced players with new accounts stopping the other players from having fun and learn how to play.

 

[MrJTeera]

Elitism. GTA Online really promoted this kind of mentality.

Can’t play shit in that game, because as soon as they see that you’re lower level, they kick you out of matchmaking.

No room for trial and error. One mission fail, and the host just ended the session because they fail some kinda requirement for a bonus payout, and you have to search for new match again, and get kicked out again, because your level is not high enough.

GTA is about freedom and open-ended gameplay, but as soon as you try something that deviates from other players’ grindfest method they found on YouTube, you get a “No! You can’t do that! Fuck off!”

Kids shouting on microphones, killing player left and right, in the pursuit of becoming the player with the highest K/D ratio.

I don’t mind a bit of shittalk now and then, but when your whole game existence is to induce this kinda mentality into player progression, it feels like you’re poisoning yourself by going through that experience.

And I’m just talking about vanilla GTA online on PS4 btw.

 

[Fahdis]

Sony's and Nintendo's Enemies evident by threads in the past.

 

[Nico_D]

Might be cynicism, but I think toxicism is built in humans and day to day it is just trying to find its way out. It is always easier to push fault to others than admit you yourself might have done the thing that evokes the emotion causing the reaction.

 

[Gameplaylover]

Fanboys, because they are not happy with their favorite toy. Only hating other toys make them happy.

 

[Raekwon26]

People who aren't honest with themselves.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I've been thinking about this recently. I've heard people call COD and Rocket League toxic, but all I can think is: if you're too lazy to press the 3 buttons it takes to mute people, that's a YOU problem.

Well, to be fair, if the toxicity didn't exist, then the need to mute wouldn't be a thought. I remember plenty of times several years ago when no one even bothered muting players, etc. But as time got on, it just got worse and worse.

The end result? Shitty people.

They're "adults", they're teenagers, they're children. They're elitists, gatekeepers, fanboys, etc. The list goes on. They just got worse when internet became more accessible. It's why free to play games typically have more toxic communities. Free = more people, more higher chances of assholes, lol.

 

[jigglet]

Well, to be fair, if the toxicity didn't exist, then the need to mute wouldn't be a thought. I remember plenty of times several years ago when no one even bothered muting players, etc. But as time got on, it just got worse and worse.

The end result? Shitty people.

They're "adults", they're teenagers, they're children. They're elitists, gatekeepers, fanboys, etc. The list goes on. They just got worse when internet became more accessible. It's why free to play games typically have more toxic communities. Free = more people, more higher chances of assholes, lol.

No I 100% agree. You're right the communities are toxic, there's no two ways about it. Maybe the way I should frame it is: the devs have given you the tools to deal with it, why not use them instead of whining about the problem? As I said, at the start of each new COD game I used to go into the menus and set it to voice chat = mute. Problem solved for literally 12 months. It's less time than it takes than to come onto a forum and bitch about it. Hope that makes sense.

 

[MiguelItUp]

No I 100% agree. You're right the communities are toxic, there's no two ways about it. Maybe the way I should frame it is: the devs have given you the tools to deal with it, why not use them instead of whining about the problem? As I said, at the start of each new COD game I used to go into the menus and set it to voice chat = mute. Problem solved for literally 12 months. It's less time than it takes than to come onto a forum and bitch about it. Hope that makes sense.

Yeah, I mean, that's really the only way it can be combated, you know? You bring up a valid point. Haha, of course that makes sense! I think it's just unfortunate for people that WANT to be able to experience a game the way it was meant to, the unfortunate part is... well... that ain't for everyone.

The reality is that those shitty people aren't going to suddenly change. So, either mute them, or deal with it I guess. There's no other way to deal with it, unfortunately.

I played Splitgate for awhile and didn't realize voice chat was on as no one really used it. The ONE time I heard someone use it, it was some child calling me a pussy after a game because he didn't like that I used portals to kill him a ton, and his team. He was salty, I thought it was funny but I was also like, "Wtf, you little shit." Lmao.

 

[ultrazilla]

I've been thinking about this recently. I've heard people call COD and Rocket League toxic, but all I can think is: if you're too lazy to press the 3 buttons it takes to mute people, that's a YOU problem.

Who sits there playing a game for a year thinking: oh I could mute these kids, but 3 buttons? Fuck that, I'd rather continue to listen to their vile shit.

There are some games where muting isn't an option - Rainbow Six Siege for example. You need the comms and team work. So yes you could legitimately call this toxic at times.

There are games where the meta community is a huge part of the experience - participating in forums and off-game social media is an integral component of this. I can't think of too many examples but I imagine MMO's might fall into this category. And yes I could see these communities being toxic and having to put up with it.

But for games like COD and RL; how could anyone describe these as toxic? I remember playing COD for 5 years and then hearing someone call this toxic and I thought - what? How? When the game launches I go into the settings, turn voice chat off and for the next 12 months it's smooth sailing.

I don't have any pants on.

 

[Bulletbrain]

I've been thinking about this recently. I've heard people call COD and Rocket League toxic, but all I can think is: if you're too lazy to press the 3 buttons it takes to mute people, that's a YOU problem.

Who sits there playing a game for a year thinking: oh I could mute these kids, but 3 buttons? Fuck that, I'd rather continue to listen to their vile shit.

There are some games where muting isn't an option - Rainbow Six Siege for example. You need the comms and team work. So yes you could legitimately call this toxic at times.

There are games where the meta community is a huge part of the experience - participating in forums and off-game social media is an integral component of this. I can't think of too many examples but I imagine MMO's might fall into this category. And yes I could see these communities being toxic and having to put up with it.

But for games like COD and RL; how could anyone describe these as toxic? I remember playing COD for 5 years and then hearing someone call this toxic and I thought - what? How? When the game launches I go into the settings, turn voice chat off and for the next 12 months it's smooth sailing.

Muting is akin to taking a painkiller when your body is ravaged by disease. Doesn't treat the cause, just offers temporary relief. The problem is the community that makes muting a necessity. That's the festering disease.

In general any fanbase who are entitled, abusive, discriminatory can be toxic.

 

[Gamerguy84]

One never really knows how much sex their mom or sister has until they play COD.

But seriously toxic people are everywhere.

The internet anonymous nature seems to promote it.

 

[Topher]

delete

 

[ZywyPL]

[...] if you're too lazy to press the 3 buttons it takes to mute people, that's a YOU problem.

I used to think the same, mainly due to LoL, but having to mute each player separately in every single match (with pre- and post-match lobby being unable to mute anyway, where most of the toxicity actually happens) is tiresome after a while, and just keeps reminding you how garbage the community is. IMO the games should have it sorted out from the get-go in the options menu with Mute: none/all/all except party, like some games do, then ot os indeed problem solved because you just enter games and have an impression everyone is minding their own business as text/voice chats are completely empty.

 

[bender]

More than one person.

 

[Kamina]

The inability to accept that people have different opinions, as well as people who constantly shit talk for no other reason than purposely harming others.

 

[Imagine Wagons]

You’re asking the wrong guy. Only game I currently play online is Magic: The Gathering Arena. There is no real chat. Just a few generic dialogue options:

I always have to turn off emotes in this game. Somehow people have figured out how to weaponize the emotes in this picture. I'd rather have text chat in Arena to be honest.

 

[Icymanipulator]

Time